I am considering a new car later this year, money permitting!!, and the above 3 are what im considering most. It will not be brand new obviously and im possibly looking at having around £15k to spend.

This would probably not be used as a car for commuting but more for enjoyment when not at work; therefore not a day to day driver.

Also the mileage isnt too much of an issue as long as it is within reason.

Ive looked at the ST (saw a 3dr 55 for 15K) and it was a good clean example, however the 3 doors do put me off slightly.

An Evo 260 was also looked at. Whilst it was nice but more pricey ( 17K on a 55) the mileage was well low but the interior wasnt what I expected. I didnt like the slope of the dash and the small speedo annoyed me for some reason.

Turning to the Scoob; my mate (the scooby salesman) keeps harping on about the WRX rather that the STI. And he has told me that a 05 or 55 WRX PPP is coming into his garage pretty soon and should be around my budget.

Obviously being a well versed group of people as you are I was wondering what thoughts other people may have.

Thanks in advance for any advice/help.

Stephen.

 

evo every time, (flame suit on) ive got two scoobs and have driven the st which has good low down power but is just not quick enough although with esp swotched off (hooligan button) it's a bit of a hoot

 

**SCOOB**

Serioiusly now, listen to your mate. Scoob all the way matey. We all know Scoob's can be a bit chav, but the EVO and the Focus invented chav. The EVO has obviously driven through Halfords backwards, and the Focus, its a Ford.

Go for the Scoob, proper drivers car.

 

Personally I'd go for a new WRX to avoid the risk of ending up with something which has been thrashed. Avoid UK dealer network and go to an independent supplier - you will get one for less than £15K at the moment. Alliance, Litchfield, Motorhouse , allbrandsnew etc etc

Tim.

 

sorry but have to say evo but you want at least fq300

 

Evo MR FQ 360, you know it makes sense!

 

Iv driven the ST and i have to say that it wasnt half bad, nice quality feel about it, but be carefull because there are 3 versions. The ST2 is the one to look out for in my opinion because the one below doesnt have Traction Control, so will shread tyres, and the one above is a bit of a pricey gimic with leather and CD changer.
As for the Evo 260, it is well over priced and not as quick as you would think. I know it has 260bhp but on paper its slower to 60 than a WRX. if you can stretch to it and can find one go for the 320.
The Impreza Sti, i havnt driven one, but it is a great car by all accounts. I have an 06 WRX and i prefered it to the above cars you have talked about, but i would say that since i bought one. The Evo 320 is the best of the bunch to be honest, i drove one and it was awesome, thats just my opinion though.
I would never spend 15k on a second hand WRX though! If you are considering a WRX you can get a new one with 3yr warranty for less than 14.5k on the road!!! It would be a Euro import, but dont let this put you off, its a UK spec car apart from side airbags in the front seats and an alarm. Its worth thinking about.
Oh ye, mine is an import and i would defo buy import again, Subaru have no problem with it and the insurance company class it as a UK car, i cant fault it.

 

Performance wise I'd have to say an STI.

If you could find a bit more cash then go for the Evo (but an FQ300 or better), if your not using it as a daily driver then I think its pretty affordable (Personally I'd find running costs of an Evo as a daily driver a bit hard to swallow).

Hate to say that the ST doesn't even blip on the radar - if that was a serious contender I would go for a Civic Type-R or the Golf GTI every time over the Focus.

(All in my opinion and based upon my personal preference!)

 

My mate drove the Type-r last Thursday and it was enough to change his mind from an ST to the Civic, he hasnt shut up about it, a good all rounder but a bit too tame for me. Also very pricey and not in Lawson101's budget.

 

Well he's not talking brand new..

So was thinking of the previous Type-R - not the new one, which I'm sure you'll be able to find for well in budget.

Which also explains my suggestion of an MY03/MY04 STI, or a bit more for an Evo FQ.

Thanks for not posting right after me and saying "thats bo####cks.. the type-r is a dog" or something similar though!

 

Haven't driven ST or Evo, but well satisfied with our MY 05 WRX PPP. Same power as EVO 260 but longer servicing intervals and probably better MPG too.

 

Burble.

 

Buy the 260 - spend £750 and you have 350bhp at least

 

Fair point, the previous one is a great car too, had great fun in one when i was looking for a new car last year but the scooby still wins it. Im not one to rubbish the opinion of others either, i love the impreza but there are loads of other good cars out there in the same range, takes allsorts doesnt it.

 

enough said

 

I'd go for a CTR over a focus, have you thought about a scoob type R and you'll have a few grand in your pocket, you said you wanted fun

 

I think the evo 260 is a bit lame, if your buying a evo you need to be looking at getting a FQ. The ST is just a slow hot hatch that will handle like a pig with torque steer etc. The STI is the one but if you want something a bit more subtle what about a WRX with the PPP fitted?

 

So - we're all in agreement that if its an Evo its got to be better than a 260.

If its the Focus, don't bother, go for the Civic Type-R instead.

But just get the Impreza!

 

I now have a 260 after previously owning a Bugeye WRX PPP. In my opnion the Evo is a better car but it all depends what you want it for. If you want more comfort and ease of drive go with a WRX otherwise if you want absolute rawness go for the 260 (or any Evo).

Evo's are less common than the scoobs, well they are round my way anyway. I see 3 or 4 scoobs daily compared to only seeing 1 or 2 Evo's in a week. Gets a bit lonely on the roads if you are a waver though

£17k seems a lot for a 260. Take a look on MLR you should find a bargain. eg:-

Mitsubishi Lancer Register Forum - Evo VIII 260..... LOW MILES

Oh another thing to consider are the service intervals - every 4,500 miles or 6 months...

 

Oh and the 260 is not lame

 

I agree totally
I think the 260 would beat an sti for out right 0-60 etc... however the STI would be a better every day car.

You pays your money........

What are you looking for in your next car???

 

If i wasn't such a scooby nut, then I would fully agree with this comment.

 

did you ever drive the focus? it's far from slow......i had one sitting on my bumper from 70-120 before i backed off"dam air-fields aren't long enough!".......mines a my05 sti with exhaust,etc,etc remaped by bob rawle.i was going for it believe me

 

Evo 260 is ceratinly not lame ! Have driven one, great car.

Your mate is trying to sell you a WRX because he's got one available ! go for an STi (power and burble !).

............or mod the WRX (cos you almost ceratinly will if you buy one ).

 

If you can get one for 15K let me know please

 

Pal has an Evo 260. I had to have my 05 STI prodrived to get an advantage over him, and it was just a little bit of an advantage at that!!!

The 260 is a 5 speed and it puts it to tremendous use, also the cornering ability surpasses the scoob.

Why bother wasting money on an FQ model for a slight performance gain that is going to get you into even more trouble doing silly speeds!!

 

I had a ST2 and got rid after 3 months,its not a drivers car like the evo or scoob,traded it in on a P1 well happy,i had an 04 CTR before the ST and would have to say that was better than the ford!!!!!

 

evo all the way for better fun yet high running costs but for every day comfort and use scooby

 

For £15k?

 

Focus doesn't come into it for me. 2WD and a ford focus!

I wouldn't buy the baby evo, i'd get the STI. But for £15k you should be able to see a FQ300 or maybe a FQ320. Then it would be a different story.

You should drive both, as they're quite different beasts. I would change that list to:

Spec C
FQ300
Focus ST

Then see what responses you get. But then i have no compromise on ride quality/drive. I want to be involved etc... Some can't live with a ride like that.